Live Curious Like a Cat

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One of the things that I love about Simba my cat, is how curious she is. She has to check out everything new that I bring into the house. She looks at it, smells it, touches it by rubbing her body against it and plays with it to see if it is safe enough to stay.

And even though she has seen several boxes before of all shapes, sizes and colors, it is fascinating to watch her treat each new addition with the same curiosity. Like there is something new to discover, like there is some surprise waiting for her.

Only after she has given it her seal of approval or disapproval does she walk away. I thought “what a great way to approach life”–treat everything new with a sense of curiosity.

Life is like a box of chocolates

It is just like Forrest Gump said, Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Even if the box is the same, the combination of sweets inside are different. Before I became a technical writer, I was a corporate trainer. I taught one-day classes in the Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc.) to various corporations. I did this for 10 years and absolutely loved it. I remember knowing the material so well that I could pretty much deliver the whole 6 hour class without looking at the book (exercises and all).

And although I taught Microsoft Word Level 3 dozens of times throughout my training career, I never got bored of it. Although I used the same book and the same exercises over and over again, each class was different.

Each class was different because the people who comprised it were different. The variety of the participants made each new class an exciting experience and I was able to present the material with the enthusiasm I had when it the first time–and to each class, I was presenting it the first time. Knowing the material so well gave me the flexibility to enjoy the individuals in the class during the presentation.

Through our interaction, I got to learn about them; their fears, hopes, dreams and accomplishments. Teaching is what really made me realize that if you are open, it is really amazing what others will tell you. I often thought to myself, what an honor to be in this position. But the truth is that whether I am standing in front of a classroom or not, I am always in that position, and so are you. We are always in a position to bear witness to someone else’s life.

Open up to new experiences

If you approach life with a been there, done that attitude, then nothing you encounter will feel new. The assumption that you know what is already inside of the “box” will cause you to miss out on the subtleties that make life fulfilling. When I got up to teach a class, it was never just about the material. Sure, I would present the material in the clearest, most effective way that I could to facilitate my responsibility of being a corporate trainer, but my higher level of teaching was always about being yourself. A lesson I taught by being myself.

You see, everyone you come in contact with is affected by you in some way. It is the ripple effect. With some people you will leave a very small ripple, however, with others, the ripple will change the direction of their life. I think about the student that came back to me and told me that I was the reason she started graduate school as well as all those who have affected the direction of my life.

Be curious and be yourself. When you are yourself, you give others permission to be themselves. :-)

Photo credit: Wapiko

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Tagged as: Knowing Yourself